Trust and Betrayal
by undecided88
Summary: Katata is still hurt by Zuko's betrayal. But when he unexpectedly comes to the group looking for help, will she be able to forgive him? Zutara. Set after Crossroads of Destiny. Still working on title.
1. Chapter 1

Katara was staring at the moon.

Aang had been sleeping for days. He'd woken every now and then to ask for food and water. Katara never left his side. She was so worried about her friend. What did that lightning do to him? She would never, ever forget the moment she saw it happen.

He had encased himself in crystal for a few minutes and then all of a sudden, burst from it and rose up, his eyes and arrow glowing white. The Avatar State. She could almost feel the power emanating from him. It gave her the extra rush of adrenaline to continue fighting the fifty or so Dai Li agents that had surrounded her. They were about to win!

Then, time stood still. She saw Azula's malicious grin and knew what had happened before she even looked up…

She stopped herself. She knew that if she even recalled the rest of the memory, she would break down again. She'd already cried herself to sleep for the past three nights. She would lay huddled in her sleeping roll, unable to get the images of that day out of her mind. Azula, Iroh, the Dai Li, Zuko…

_Zuko_.

The mere mention of his name sent her into a rage so strong that her stomach churned. He had made her trust him; she thought he had changed.

_I have changed_, was his response. No. He hadn't. He was still the evil, ruthless Fire Nation Prince who had charged her village months before. The sick teenager who tried to capture her best friend over and over. The coward she had fought at the North Pole. How many times had they run from him, fought him, feared him?

And yet, when they were trapped in the cave together, she thought he was showing her a side of him that was actually human. He revealed that he had lost his mother to the Fire Nation, just like she had. He told her he had realized that he was free to choose his own destiny. She had even offered to heal his scar!

She did not even want to think about what would have happened had she used the oasis water to heal _his _scar. Aang might not be alive… No. She would not think about it.

All she knew now was that if she ever saw Zuko's face again, he would regret it. He would regret siding with Azula… he would regret betraying his uncle… he would regret making Katara feel foolish for trusting him…

Aang groaned slightly and turned over in his sleep. _I will never let anything hurt you, Aang. _

She lay down next to him and fell into a restless sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Life for the Gaang went on this way for about half a week. The Earth King sensed that he and Bosco didn't fit in with the small family the four children had created. After a few days, the King decided to take Bosco and go in search of a village in which they could start a new life. Nothing Katara, Sokka or Toph could say would change his mind. And so, only four days after the fall of Ba Sing Sei, the Earth King and his bear were on their way to create a life of their own.

Though she felt sorry to see them go and would worry about their welfare, Katara was somewhat relieved that they had decided to leave. They would have run out of supplies much faster had the King and bear stayed. The King was a grown man; he needed more food than any of the others, and the bear was… well, a bear. Traveling, though they would not go anywhere for at least a week because Katara was afraid to move Aang, would have been slower, and the risk of attracting the Fire Nation grew with each person or animal that joined their group.

The fifth day of resting, Katara and Toph were gathering berries from some nearby bushes a few yards away from the campsite. Katara wasn't concerned about Aang; Sokka was by the fire as well, cleaning his boomerang. Aang still hadn't woken up for longer than twenty minutes. She was beginning to worry, and she hoped that he would be in a well enough condition to seek out the guru soon. Though Aang's wellbeing was most important to her, the threat of Sozin's Comet loomed, ever closer.

Katara absentmindedly continued picking berries. Suddenly, she heard a rustling in the bushes. She looked over at Toph, who had strayed far enough away not to notice. Thinking it was a squirrel monkey, she didn't worry. However, moments later, a much larger creature stumbled out of the bush.

It was a human. It was… Zuko?! She couldn't think straight. Her vision blurred. She wanted to freeze him into a block of ice and throw it into the lake! Before she could even move, Toph came flying out of nowhere.

Although Katara wanted to hurt him so badly that he wished he was never born, she still couldn't suppress a small scream as Toph bypassed bending completely and punched Zuko squarely in the face. He stumbled backwards a little bit… and stayed there. He didn't throw fire at them, he didn't move to a defensive position, he even didn't put his hand to the new, growing bruise under his unscarred eye.

Even as Katara's mind reeled with anger, she couldn't help but noticed how he looked. He was thinner and his clothes were dirty and ragged. Did he look this way in the cave? Is that what exile did to a prince? His face was even paler than usual, with smudges of what Katara could only imagine was dirt, sweat and ash. His posture was poor and he was staring at the ground. He looked defeated and resigned, his usual arrogant air gone. It reminded Katara of the Zuko she had glimpsed in the cave before _it_ happened. He looked pathetic.

Sokka, no doubt upon hearing Katara's scream, came running up from the campsite demanding to know what had happened. "What in Agni's name is going—_you._" When he caught a glance at Zuko, Sokka immediately drew his weapon, clearly preparing to give him a blow to the head, the stomach, anywhere he could reach. Katara saw this and decided to stop him. If anyone was going to kill Zuko, it would be her. She also couldn't ignore the very small part of her that was curious to know what had happened to him. He hadn't even looked up when Sokka arrived. She stepped in.

"Sokka, don't. Toph already punched him in the face." Sokka looked over in approval at Toph, who was still seething. "Before you beat him to a pulp, I want to see what he's doing here."

"Katara, he's obviously here to get Aang! His crazy sister and her posse could be waiting just on the other side of those—"

"Sokka, look at him! I don't think he's brought anyone with him. As pathetic as he is, it's only fair to see what he's up to. I promise, if I'm not satisfied with his answer, you can have Appa trample him."

"I just don't think this is a good—" But Katara had already marched over to the Fire Prince. He was still standing, hunched over, watching the ground, as though he was in a world of his own. Upon nearing him Katara saw that there were not only smudges of dirt on his face, but blood. Small cuts peppered his arms and neck, and she could see a small gash on his thigh through the tear in one of his pant legs. She felt a very brief stab of pity for him before remembering all the pain he had caused her.

"What the hell are you doing here?! Planning an ambush against us and trying to kidnap Aang again? Well let me tell you something. He's been in critical condition for the past few weeks! If he is moved, he will die. Then the Avatar cycle will continue and you'll have to start your search all over again! Not to mention the fact that if you take one step toward him, I will personally sever the head off of your pathetic—"

"Azula killed Uncle."


	3. Chapter 3

Zuko's voice was barely above a rasping whisper, yet it seemed that everyone had heard it.

Katara went numb. The Dragon of the West was dead? By the hand of his own niece? She hadn't known him personally but she knew he was the exact opposite of his brother Ozai; kind, loyal, caring, and from what she'd heard, quite the fan of tea. She moved her mouth but sound didn't seem to want to come out. Finally, a strangled cry broke the silence, but it didn't come from Zuko.

Toph was on her knees, head bent, Sokka kneeling beside her and patting her back. Katara had no idea what had come over Toph… did she know the old man? Before she could voice her thoughts, however, Zuko collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

"Zuko!" She involuntarily moved to his side to check his pulse. His heart seemed to be beating steadily, but it was very faint. He must have collapsed from exhaustion and starvation. _Great,_ she thought, _now I have two weak boys on my hands._ Where had that come from? Of course she wasn't going to care for Zuko. He had betrayed her; he deserved what he had gotten! _No one deserves to lose someone they loved._ That was true. She thought she'd never recover from her mother's death. The terrible anguish and pain of having to continue on with everyday life after the funeral was so unbearable that sometimes it made Katara question her sanity.

Still, she thought, all she'd do for Zuko was leave some food and supplies by him and the group would find a way to move somewhere else. When he awoke, he could deal with his problems on his own. There was no way she was going to let him trick her into trusting him again.

Then it hit her. She was so hurt and angry that he had betrayed her back in the Ba Sing Sei that it was clouding her judgment. _Why am I so selfish?_ Of course she'd help him. It was the right thing to do. It was what Aang would have wanted. With a jolt, she realized what she had been thinking. _Aang's still alive, _she reminded herself quickly. _He's just not awake right now…_

Refusing to succumb to her thoughts, she instead concentrated on getting Zuko to the fire. He didn't seem to have any broken limbs, so she put her hands under his arms and tried dragging him to the campsite. Unfortunately, though he had thinned, he was still a boy of sixteen. She would need help.

"Sokka? Could you give me a hand here?" He was still trying to console Toph.

"With what? Wait, you're not going to actually help him…"

"Sokka, it's the right thing to do. Zuko or not, he needs our help!"

"Katara, are you insane? This guy tried to kill us all! Or did you forget that he is the son of Ozai and brother to Azula?"

"And nephew to a nice retired general who was just killed?" Katara whispered, so Toph would not hear. "Sokka, I'm not helping Zuko for Zuko. I'm helping him for Iroh. And Aang."

"Aang? Why Aang?"

"Would you just help me take him over to the fire?"

Sokka grunted and grabbed one of Zuko's arms. Katara noticed that although he was helping her, he didn't seem to be very cautious about where he dragged the Fire Nation Prince's limp body. Once, after hauling him over an especially jagged looking rock, all Sokka would say was "Oops!" and smirk slightly.

Once they had him by the fire, Katara checked him over once again to make sure that he hadn't sprained anything. She found that the fingers on his right hand were broken—probably on purpose to keep him from firebending… which meant that Azula had been meaning to kill Iroh all along and wanted to prevent Zuko from attacking her afterwards…how had he managed to keep the other hand from being crushed?

Katara bent water onto his face and cleaned the cuts and bruises on his arms and neck. She widened the tear in his pants that exposed the gash in his thigh (she would sew them back later, and it avoided having to take his pants off altogether) and healed the wound. It was deeper than she thought; it had probably been made from a knife. He would have some trouble walking for at least a few days. As for his fingers, those would have to heal on their own. Katara wouldn't dare try to fix them herself. Though she was a master waterbender, she did not have the expertise in healing as she did fighting, and with something as sensitive as a bender's hands, she did not want to experiment, so she merely tore a length of cloth from her dress and wrapped up his hand. She did not have the strength—physically and emotionally—to turn Zuko over and check his back; she'd have to do that in the morning.

Finally, exhausted, Katara was able to crawl into her bed roll. Unfortunately, her churning mind would not allow her sleep. As she looked over at Zuko's still body lying on the ground (no one had offered to let him lie on their bed roll and there were no extras), she thought more and more about what he had to have gone through. He'd lost his mother, his father was a cruel tyrant planning to take over the world, and now the only person it seemed who truly cared for him had been murdered by his own sister. Katara was both shocked and horrified to find a lump growing in her throat and tears burning at the corners of her eyes. She was crying for _Zuko_? The angry prince who had chased them halfway around the world, tried to capture her best friend several times, bested her in their fight at the North Pole, and worst of all, betrayed her trust in the caves not even a month before? When she realized that yes, she was, she could only cry harder.


	4. Chapter 4

Zuko woke the morning the next morning. As soon as Katara tried to check his back for any injuries, he barked that he didn't need help, though it must have been quite obvious to him that she'd already helped him immensely, if not from the lack of pain on his face and neck, then certainly from his bandaged right hand. After his outburst, she told him angrily that he wouldn't be able to walk for a few days, slammed a bowl of the soup she had made that morning down in front of him and stormed away, muttering to herself, just loud enough for him to hear.

"How _dare_ he?! I'm nothing but nice to him, I heal his wounds, even after he betrayed Aang…" _and me,_ she thought, "…in Ba Sing Sei, we take him in and all he can do is yell at me! Gods, he was the one who came to us for help! Well apparently 'he doesn't need it!'" She mimicked Zuko's voice. "Fine! Then I'm not going to give it!" Without thinking, Katara turned to look at Zuko to see if he had heard her. He hadn't moved otherwise, but his head was bent a little lower. _Good, _she thought, _I hope he feels guilty._

Katara sat and talked with Toph and Sokka for most of the day after cleaning up breakfast. Sokka shot glares at Zuko more often than not, but Toph refused to even look in his direction. Both of them generally left him alone, however. Katara desperately wanted to ask Toph about Iroh, but she, who always seemed to have something to say, had been quiet all day, and Katara didn't want to make things worse.

Katara didn't expect Zuko to apologize, and he didn't disappoint her. For the rest of the day he sat in silence by the fire, occasionally shifting positions. Whenever he did this, Katara involuntarily looked towards the movement and saw him wincing slightly. Once he even put a hand to his back, but upon catching her looking in his direction, immediately removed it and turned away. Though she was still angry at him for his outburst that morning and for his actions in Ba Sing Sei, she couldn't help but feel a stab of pity for him. However, he explicitly told her he didn't need help, and she wasn't going to do him any favors. She decided that she'd only inspect his back if he asked her.

For the next three days, things continued in the same way. Katara would drop a bowl of food in front of Zuko every morning, afternoon and evening without a word, and, without a word, Zuko would eat and sit. Katara found herself glancing at him every time he moved, to see if he'd show any more signs that his back was injured. She could tell that he was trying very hard not to express any pain, but from the healing training she'd received in the North Pole with Yagoda and from being around Sokka all her life, she could tell when a man was hurt but trying not to show it. From studying his movements and facial expressions, Katara deduced that whatever it was that was hurting his back was only getting worse with time. The healer in her told her to just suck it up, demand that he sit still and look at it. Still, she liked the idea that she had the upper hand, and he was being stubborn and did not ask for anything, so Katara did not offer.

By the fourth day, Katara was itching to heal him; he now grunted any time he moved the slightest bit, and really it was getting on her nerves that he hadn't just swallowed his pride and just asked her. Finally, mid afternoon that day, Katara got his permission.

Momo had been bounding from tree to tree for about ten minutes when he accidentally landed on top of a robin-jay's nest. The angry mother robin-jay immediately began attacking, and Momo was so startled that he leapt off the branch right onto Zuko's shoulders. Upon jumping because he was startled, Zuko cried out in pain.

"Stupid monkey-badger!" He yelled and launched a flash of fire at the lemur. Because he had shot it with his left hand, and he was not completely recovered, it did nothing but scare Momo even more, who climbed up Sokka's leg and didn't stop until he'd reached the top of his head, where he sat trembling.

"HEY!" Yelled Sokka. "He's a lemur and his name is Momo! And it's not his fault you're a big jerk who has to throw fire at every living thing that comes within ten feet of you!" Though his voice was extremely menacing, it was hard to take Sokka seriously when he had a lemur wrapped around his head. Katara suppressed a giggle and turned to look at Zuko.

He seemed to have ignored Sokka, for he was grimacing and was obviously in a lot of pain. She stood there looking down at him. He raised his head one degree, and though he didn't look at her, he knew he was addressing her when he quietly said, "Please…"

"Please… what?"

He took a deep breath and hitched, letting out a low hiss. "Please….will you…" He looked down at the ground and put a hand to his back. "…Help…me."

"I thought you didn't need help, Prince Zuko?" Katara decided to punish him a little longer for keeping her waiting for four days.

"I…was…wro—ah…" He winced when he tried to straighten, probably because he recognized his formal title. "…Wrong…"

"Lie down on your stomach." Katara bent to lift his shirt so she could look at his back. When she began to pull the hem up, he grabbed her wrist tightly – and painfully. His hand was very hot, and if Katara didn't know better, she would say he was trying to burn her. Sokka moved toward her, but she held her other hand up to stop him. Restraining from wrenching her hand away, she spoke to him quietly. "You need to sit still. I know this hurts, but if you let me look at it, I promise the pain will be gone as soon as I figure out what it is." After a few moments he let go of her wrist.

When she finally peeled his shirt away, she gasped at what she saw. Zuko really had been able to hide his pain much better than she thought. There were about ten long, thin gashes crisscrossing his back, caked with dried blood, sweat and grime. Peppered everywhere were burns of different shapes and sizes, but nothing too serious.

Immediately, Katara drew water from her water pouch and soon her hand was blue with a water glove. When she pressed her hand against his back, he drew in a harsh breath and stiffened. She found herself gently trying to calm him with her voice. _Why am I worrying so much about my enemy? _Suddenly Aang's voice filled her mind. _Because you're a good person, Katara. _ Suddenly, it was hard to breathe. The lump that formed in her throat was threatening her with tears. To distract herself from crying, she concentrated very hard on what she was doing.

It was taking a while to heal the long gashes. What worried her most was whether they had gotten infected from Zuko's uncleanliness and, Katara added resentfully, his refusal to acknowledge her help. Unfortunately, the best she could do for him was to clean the wounds and heal them the best she could. She would have no idea if they were infected on the inside, but at least his pain would be lessened immensely. She could tell that Zuko knew she was finished when he relaxed; he'd been rigid the entire time she was healing him.

When he sat up slowly, he gingerly touched his back in amazement. "It… doesn't hurt…" Katara caught herself smiling at him. Swiftly she stood and said forcefully, "Well of course it doesn't. I healed you didn't I? Did you think I wasn't a good enough healer? _You're_ _welcome_, by the way!" _That was condescending… It was just his way of saying thanks._ She was so angry at herself for almost trusting him again that she yelled at him for no reason.

He stared up at her, bewildered by her sudden explosion. Then his face became hard. "Well I had my doubts, seeing as you're a peasant and all, but it looks like you've been taught well. Maybe you should focus on healing instead of fighting; it will probably come in handy later, when you're sitting in your small, shoddy igloo with the rest of the women in your tribe, healing the defeated warriors who've just lost a battle with the Fire Nation army."

Katara's jaw dropped open. _What did that asshole just say?_

"You did _not_ just say that to my sister. I'll kick your sorry ass to Omashu!" Sokka had already started making his way toward the Firebender.

"Oh, do you get your big brother to fight all your battles for you, peasant?" Zuko had been on very thin ice, and it just snapped.

"No, actually I don't!" And a water whip came out of nowhere and hit Zuko right in the face before he fell backward, unconscious.

This time, her conscience agreed with her. _Yeah, he deserved that._


	5. DisclaimerAuthor's Note

DISCLAIMER: Avatar: The Last Airbender is not mine.

AN: Hey guys, there are a lot of things I've been meaning to make notes about in different chapters, but since I don't have the hang of this whole updating thing down yet, I thought I'd just get it all here. Sorry if you guys were expecting another chapter!

So, just for the story: Sorry if the whole "King and Bosco going to another village to start a new life" thing is weak, I just needed to get rid of him because frankly, I'm not that good at writing a bunch of characters; five is enough… and Aang doesn't even talk!

I know the story is mainly just interaction between Katara and Zuko… like I said, multiple characters: not my strong point. Unfortunately since this is my first fanfic, it will probably be that way for most of the story, and yes, everything is going to be told from Katara's point of view. So if some of the things Zuko does get confusing, I'll find a way to explain it later on from Katara's POV.

Sorry for the language at the end of that last chapter, I couldn't really find any other name more fitting for Zuko, especially after that thing he said! Harsh… Also, be sure to reread all the chapters cuz I changed a few things here and there.

Anyway reviewers: YAY! I'm so excited you like my story! I have been a long time reader, first time writer and it really makes me excited to hear that you guys like the story so far! On that note, if I have any spelling or grammar, or even research mistakes (like names of characters, plotlines, etc.) PLEASE tell me and I will fix them! It is very important to me to keep my story as accurate with the show as possible. Also let me know if a character is getting a little bit OOC. I thought Katara's being "nice" to Zuko was getting a little out of hand because she was soo angry at him only a few chapters beforehand… that's why I put in her little temper tantrum in the last chapter )

Okay this is turning into a novel of an author's note but I just wanted everyone to know what the story would most likely consist of and all that jazz.

One more note that might make you guys kind of mad (sorry!)… I am a very easily distracted person. And usually I only do things when I'm in the mood to do them. Which means that I will probably not update for long periods of time. I'm so sorry if that drives you crazy (I know it drives me crazy) but I know myself, and I know that if I force myself to write the story when I really don't feel like it, it will be crap. So I might not update for two months, or even longer, but I want you guys to know that it's not because I've given up. It's still on my computer, and I am still sticking with it. I'll occasionally write parts and little scenes, etc. but not exactly entire chapters. But if you're patient and stick with me, you'll be good. Just wanted to give it to you straight before you guys get your hopes up. Sorry!

Anyway, thanks so much for reading and please don't lose interest! I will try to get into the Avatar fanfiction mood as often as possible. P


	6. Chapter 5

**AN: **Okay, so I completely lied when I said it would all be from Katara's POV. I was trying to think of a way to explain Zuko's behavior without making him seem like a total jerk, and this was what I came up with. I think most of the story will still be in Katara's POV but I might add a short little bonus chapter from another character's perspective from time to time. Obviously this was one, because 1) I felt bad about telling you guys that I wouldn't update for long periods of time, 2) I was in the Avatar mood today:)

By the way, I do not own Avatar.

* * *

Zuko felt kind of bad for what he'd said. Of course he didn't mean any of it. But the Waterbender had yelled at him for absolutely no reason whatsoever. He'd caught the smile she was giving him. But just when he was about to thank her, out of nowhere she began degrading him!

He was weak. He hated feeling this way. According to his father, weakness was the worst quality anyone could possess, and though he no longer looked for his father's acceptance, it still made sense to him. He didn't want to show weakness by asking the peasant for help, so for three agonizing days, he sat, enduring the excruciating pain his back was causing him. When Azula had whipped him for attacking her after killing Uncle…

Anyway, when that infernal squirrel monkey jumped on his back he'd been unable to suppress a cry. The waterbender was standing over him, and in that moment, he chose weakness over pain. So he'd asked for her help. When she used his formal title to mock him, he almost took it back. Then he straightened, and the pain was worse than ever. So he grudgingly admitted that he'd been wrong.

When she tried to pull his shirt away from his sticky wounds, it hurt so much that he'd involuntarily latched onto her wrist with the intent to burn her for the pain she was causing him. But then she told him to relax, and after a few moments, he released her.

When he felt a coolness against his wounds, it was all it took for him not to turn over and scar her like he'd been scarred. But then the pain began to ebb away, slowly, but surely. When she finished he relaxed. The pain had not disappeared completely, but it was much more bearable. Amazed, he spoke, more to himself than to her. " It… doesn't hurt…" He turned to her, about to thank her when he caught her smile. For a split second, he forgot what he was about to say.

Then, she'd stood and barked at him. He couldn't believe the change that had taken place in the blink of an eye. What she said made him angry. He was about to thank her! He was about to tell her that she had a nice smile…

"_You're welcome,_ by the way."

He stared up at her, incredulous that she'd assumed that he would not thank her. Though he wouldn't admit it, his pride had been hurt and he had no other defense than to retaliate with harsher words.

Unfortunately he'd forgotten that she was a master waterbender and when the water whip hit him squarely in the face, he regretted what he'd said.

* * *

I thought of something kind of funny (maybe only I find it funny, we'll see what you guys think). AN is for author's note... but AN are also my initials! Cool! Umm... yeah, I'm a dork. Bye.


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